The present invention relates to the field of video presentation systems and methods. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for setting the natural language preferences of audio/visual command tuners in an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 1394 standards compliant system.
Electronic systems and circuits have made a significant contribution towards the advancement of modem society and are utilized in a number of applications to achieve advantageous results. Numerous electronic technologies such as digital computers, calculators, audio devices, video equipment, and telephone systems have facilitated increased productivity and reduced costs in analyzing and communicating data, ideas and trends in most areas of business, science, education and entertainment. Electronic systems designed to produce these results often include digital video technologies that provide images and audio presentations. Usually, videos are presented in natural languages spoken in a geographic area and electronic video devices are typically configured to present information in a preferred natural language. There are numerous geographic areas associated with natural language preferences and significant manufacturing resources are consumed configuring the natural language preferences of video presentation devices for different geographical regions.
Video information is often communicated in a broadcast format to numerous viewers. Video broadcast presentations (e.g., a television broadcast) are usually a very efficient way to present significant amounts of information to a large audience. For example, videos capture events and occurrences that are presented to people that were not present when the video was taken. Watching and listening to a video of an event or occurrence provides a virtual first hand experience permitting viewers to form their own impressions about the event or occurrence.
Video broadcast presentations often involve numerous electronic devices arranged in a variety of configurations. For example, a digital video camera captures video information associated with images and sounds, a processor processes the video information, a storage medium stores the video information, a display device displays images and speakers provide sounds. The devices are usually required to communicate with each other in order to execute a video presentation. Broadcast video information is often communicated from a transmitter for transmitting the information to a receiver for receiving the information. Receivers typically include a tuner for tuning in to a particular information in a broadcast. Communications between the electronic devices usually have to conform to a communication protocol in order for the devices to understand the communicated information.
An organization that specifies standards for the electronics industry is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). One standard the IEEE has promulgated is the IEEE 1394 communication protocol standard, which primarily specifies conventions for high speed serial system communications. Communications transmitted in accordance with the IEEE 1394 communication protocol standard are often communicated between computer systems, audio and video products, printers, scanner products, hard disks (especially raid arrays) and digital video camera recorders. In particular, the IEEE 1394 communication protocol standard is often utilized in the transmission of information associated with digital video technology.
The ability to accurately perceive transmitted broadcast video information is often dependent upon presenting the information in a natural language an audience understands. Usually, video presentation devices that provide audio and textual subtitling, such as a television (TV) or a set top box (STB), are configured to handle a particular geographic regional natural language preference. For example, a video presentation device in the United States typically presents information in English, a video presentation device in Japan typically presents information in Japanese, and a video presentation device in France typically presents information in French. Language preferences for a geographic region are typically set at a factory when a video device is manufactured.
Significant manufacturing resources are often consumed configuring geographic natural language preferences in electronic devices such as video tuners. Traditionally, each natural language preference is programmed individually and only one set of natural language preferences corresponding to a single geographic region is provided. Usually, the manufacturer has to stop production to determined which geographic region a particular video tuner (e.g., in a television) is going to be marketed in, determine which natural languages to include in the geographic natural language preferences and then individually enter each geographic natural language preference in the correct priority order. Making manufacturing adjustments to accommodate the variety of possible natural language preferences that exist among different geographical areas requires significant expenditure of manufacturing resources. Once a video device is manufactured, its ability to properly function is often limited to the geographic area corresponding to the predetermined single set of natural language preferences, it is relatively difficult to change the selection of geographical natural language preferences if a television is marketed in a different geographical area.
Accordingly, what is required is a system and method that facilitates efficient geographic natural language preference selection. The system and method should assist reduction of resources expended on setting geographical natural language preferences during manufacturing processes. The present invention facilitates efficient geographic natural language preference selection and assists the reduction of resources expended on the setting geographical natural language preferences during manufacturing processes. The present invention natural language default selection system and method facilitates easy manufacturing adjustments to accommodate a variety of possible natural language preferences that exist among different geographical areas and provides the ability to conveniently change the selection of geographical natural language preferences if a video presentation system is marketed in a different geographical area.
The present invention enables automatic setting a natural language default selection in a video presentation device and facilitates easy manufacturing adjustments to accommodate a variety of possible natural language preferences that exist among different geographical areas. A video tuner natural language default selection system of the present invention facilitates reception of video communication signals (e.g., a television broadcast signal ) and tuning into particular geographical default natural language information included in the video communication signal. A tuner controller provides instructions to a tuner on the selection of the geographical default natural language information for communication to downstream components. A memory stores information for the tuner controller, including a geographical default natural language indicator for referring to a geographical natural language table comprising natural language selections. In one exemplary implementation the geographical natural language table is configured to comply with IEEE 1394 requirements and is included in an IEEE 1394 compliant AV/C tuner preferred components list descriptor.